I visited the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea again , for the 10th
time , from the 8th of October to the 19th to attend the celebrations
for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of
Korea. This was at the kind invitation of the Korean Association of
Social Scientists It was a great visit and I was very disappointed to
leave to go
back to the capitalist world where everything seems so depressing and
miserable .
During
my visit I had working level meetings with the Korean Association of
Social Scientists. I participated as an observer in the meeting of the
Board of Directors of the
KIM IL SUNG KIM JONG IL International
Foundation . I took part the seminar on the 9th of October and made a
speech to the seminar on experiences of Juche Idea Study Groups on the
11th of October. I was proud to be awarded the double portrait badge of
generalissimos
KIM IL SUNG and
KIM JONG IL, a great honour indeed.
I
was able to have a short meeting with the DPRK Committee for Cultural
Relations with Foreign Countries during the meal arranged by them on the
8th of October. I had a productive meeting with the Anti Imperialist
National Democratic Front of south Korea. I was able to visit outside of
Pyongyang the following places such as the Sinchon museum,
International Friendship Exhibition and West sea barrage and also to
walk around Pyongyang quite a lot on foot for the first time . Seeing
pedestrian underpasses I could not see any homeless people. I realised
more deeply that the propaganda spread by the imperialist mass media is
all lies.
Seeing
the DPRK countryside I came to know that the stories about crop failure
and famine are untrue . Also some elements spread stories about "
reform " and "opening up " and even the" restoration of capitalism"
but in the countryside you could see the Red flag proudly displayed on
the collective farm fields.
There so many highlights of the trip notably the massive military
parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the
Workers Party of Korea . . Also there was torchlight parade by tens of
thousands of youth was most impressive as was the 10,000 strong gala
performance on a floating stage.
I
arrived at the new Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on the 8th
where I was met by an official of the Korean Association of Social
Scientists and by my guide for the trip Ms Ri , a smartly dressed young lady with a brisk and confident walk who is a university student and member of the
KIM IL SUNG Socialist Youth League .
Seeing the new Airport itself was a surprise ! . All trace of the old
Sunan airport was gone and instead a new modern airport that is spacious
and bright . It was constructed by the soldier constructors of the
Korean Peoples Army totally self reliantly in the spirit of Juche . Many
countries can of course boast of modern airports but these are
constructed with the help of foreign capital whereas Sunan Airport is
100 per cent Korean in construction and design . There is no HSBC , no
McDonald’s , no Starbucks , no KFC ! everything is Korean owned and
managed !It was a contrast to a certain neighbouring country where the
first thing you can see on
coming out of arrivals is a McDonald’s rather than a symbol of the
country concerned or an enterprise owned by that country , what a poor
show ! Although Sunan Airport now has bigger capacity it still has a
calm atmosphere and lacks the stress of Heathrow Airport . In some
capitalist countries airports have been over expanded drawing anger and
protests . However the DPRK has struck a balance between the need for
international air travel and the need for environmental harmony.
Pyongyang
was in a truly festive mood ready for October 10th . The red flag of
the Workers Party of Korea with its distinct hammer, sickle and writing
brush could be seen flying gaily in the wind on many street corners .
On this visit whilst visiting the Party Foundation museum I learnt that
the fact that that the sickle, brush and hammer are upright to
symbolise the single hearted unity of the masses and that the writing
brush is higher to reflect the importance of intellectuals in society .
Of
course the DPRK is one of the few countries in the world where you will
see the Red flag flying on street corners which reflects the fact that
the DPRK is upholding the red banner of socialism frustrating all
attempts to undermine socialism as dear respected Marshal
KIM JONG UN
said in his recently published work
"The Cause of the Great Party of Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Is Ever-Victorious"
"
We
must keep a watchful eye over all sorts of moves by the enemy to
undermine our socialist system from within, approach these moves with
political awareness and never allow any poisonous weeds of capitalism,
however trifling, to sprout in the garden of socialism."
The single heart-ed unity of the DPRK was
demonstrated by the massive military parade , civilian demonstration
and torchlight procession of youths . The military parade was was a
superb pageant . It was led by a column representing
the anti-Japanese guerrillas which was symbolic of the continuity of
the revolution down the generations. There were the original tanks from
the Fatherland Liberation War including tank no 312 which was the first
tank into Seoul on the 28th of July 1950 , a subtle reminder to the
south Korean puppets of the fate that awaits them should they provoke a
war . There was an impressive display of tanks and missiles including
long range missiles as well as a nuclear suicide unit which shows that
if necessary the KPA under the command of supreme leader Marshal
KIM JONG UN can strike back at the US imperialists in any part of the
world . The US imperialists may be able to run but they cannot hide from
the merciless strike of the KPA ! There was an ingenious display by
planes that flew in the formation of the WPK symbol and in the
formation of a number 70 , such creativity and skill !The military
parade was followed by a civilian demonstration which demonstrated the
army people unity which is quite impossible in capitalist society where
there is conflict between the people and the armed forces. Later I
explained to my guide Ms Ri that in my country there is conflict between
the army and the people giving the example of the town where I grew
up : there was an army barracks in the centre of town but it had to be
moved into the countryside far outside town because each night the
soldiers would go out and get drunk in pubs and beat up the civilians(Ms
Ri said that the British Army is not a proper army and that KPA
soldiers never drink )
Dear
respected Marshal
KIM JONG UN addressed the parade , his voice was
clear and strong full of conviction. He said
" For our country and people, October 10 is a meaningful revolutionary
holiday when they celebrate the birth anniversary of the genuine
vanguard of the revolution, its militant General Staff, which has taken
responsibility for their destiny and leads them"
Military
parades in the DPRK are different from those in former socialist
countries as in the DPRK the paraders march with vigour and enthusiasm
and with colourful displays. In the former socialist countries the
military parades looked gloomy.
Of course some big powers may put on big military parades but these are
just for show with no real content
In the evening there was a militant torchlight paradeof youths followed by a
colourful firework display . Although the weather was
unfavourable the Korean young people did not flinch but took part in the
parade with vigour ! The DPRK government is not afraid of putting
large numbers of young people on the streets whereas in the UK the government
would never risk putting such large numbers of youth on the streets as
this could led to a riot .
I also attended the 10000 strong joint performance "
Great Party, Rosy Korea".
This was a very new concept for me as it was performed on a floating
stage on the River Taedong , something unique and I have never seen
this before anywhere in the world. The performance was started by
schoolchildren but centred on veteran artistes of the DPRK . The famous
Pochonbo and Wangjaesan bands took the stage to perform such classic
numbers as
My Country is the Best . There were so many fascinating
pieces of music . The history of the DPRK was represented by music and
stunning choreography . I liked seeing a model of tank no 312 on the
stage. The most striking piece wa
s Peace Is On Our Bayonets . The lead singer for this was in a beautiful woman
singer in uniform with a powerful and striking voice. This was performed
against a striking backdrop showing the US flag and White House being
destroyed. This demonstrates the strong and militant anti imperialist
spirit of the DPRK which is not seen in other countries. The DPRK fights
US imperialism without compromise unlike some countries.
v
The
anti -imperialist , anti US spirit of the DPRK was also fully
demonstrated at the new Sinchon Ri museum . Sinchon Ri is the fateful
place where the US imperialists and local class enemies committed the
crime of murdering 35383 people or one quarter of the population (can
you imagine the death toll if the same thing was done in London , it
would 2.2 million people dead!).It is an understatement to say the the US imperialists are just as bad as Hitlers Nazis , in fact they were much worse! A museum was built at the site of one
of the massacres not simply as a memorial to those who died but also as a
centre of anti US anti imperialist class education . Dear respected
Marshal
KIM JONG UN instructed that the museum should be rebuilt and
modernised . He also gave instructions that it should be moved to the
site of where the massacre took place in the Chestnut valley as
previously those who visited the old museum had to travel between sites ,
the new museum affords greater convenience . The new museum is much
larger than the old one and has more detailed and graphic displays some
with sound effects which tell of the horrendous crimes committed by the
barbaric and degenerate Yankee imperialists against the Korean people .
We learnt about the long history of US aggression against Korea which
goes back over 150 years. In the past the devious US imperialists used
religion as a means of creating passivity and US worship infiltrating
many missionaries into Korea to spread the worship of the US and to
recruit spies and collaborators. My eye was caught by a depiction of
Korean shown helping the US imperialists . This
was a former landlord . Thus the US imperialists were the external enemy
but were helped by internal class enemies like former exploiters. The
two were hand in glove . Today the reactionary exploiting class in south
Korea led by puppet boss woman Park Geun Hye is hand in glove with the
US imperialists in their anti DPRK moves . My guide Ms Ri explained that
the nature of the US imperialists does not change . I was able to
purchase an excellent booklet
Sinchon Acuses the Yankee barbarians !
. Probably the DPRK is the only country in the world to have such a
museum , none of the other socialists countries , former or present ,
carried out such thoroughgoing anti US anti imperialist class education
and it intends to step it up.
Visiting the new
renovated and expanded Fatherland Liberation War Museum one could learn
the fact that the US imperialists provoked the Korean War and also of
the crushing defeat inflicted on them by the heroic Korean Peoples Army
commanded by the great leader generalissimo KIM IL SUNG the
ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander and gifted military
strategist of Juche . Also displayed outside were numerous captured US
weapons including in pride of place the "USS Pueblo " which was captured
on the 23rd of January 1968. At the time the US imperialists asked
British premier Harold Wilson who had close business relations with the
Soviet Union to ask
the USSR to ask the DPRK to hand back the ship . The DPRK refused to
do so , though the Soviet revisionists did put pressure on the DPRK to
hand back the ship.
We also visited the International Friendship
Exhibition situated in the beautifully scenic and supremely serene
Myohyang mountains. I was proud to see the
gift we presented to dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN in 2013 on
display. There was a beautiful carpet picture of dear respected Marshal
KIM JONG UN and comrade Ri Sol Ju on display.Visiting
the exhibition we could learn of the the deep reverence of the world
revolutionary and progressive people for the great leader President
KIM
IL SUNG who was the great elder of the international communist and
working class movement . After seeing the waxwork figure of the great
leader President
KIM IL SUNG Ms Ri said that she felt that she was
seeing the great leader President
KIM IL SUNG in real life !
No visit to Pyongyang is complete without a visit to the amazing Pyongyang Metro.The
cost of ride on the Pyongyang Metro is the equivalent of 0.003p(according to a google currency converter) so it
is virtually free and war veterans get completely free travel.The Pyongyang Metro is clean, free from vandalism,
graffiti , capitalist advertising and dirt ! I told my guide how dirty
the London Underground is and she asked why given the high fares on the
Tube they cannot kept it clean ! The Pyongyang Metro is very safe as the
platforms are wide and each station has 2 "security girls" who ensure
the safety of passengers. In London ticket offices are being closed and the numbers of staff reduced.
The
DPRK is building many blocks of flats such as Mirae Street and handing
them over to the people free of charge. This would be unthinkable in the
UK where a flat on the riverside in central London cost £12,000 per
month to rent or up to £1 million to buy . Even in the run down and poor
Woolwich Dockyard area ( where I live) a flat costs £200,000 to buy or
£500 to £1000 a month to rent.
Thanks
to my dependable and reliable guide Ms Ri I was able to walk about the centre of Pyongyang
which not only afforded me the opportunity of fresh air and exercise but
gave me the chance to see the reality of the DPRK even more deeply
before. Some enemies of the DPRK say that visitors to the DPRK simply
stay in hotels and go around in tourist buses but do not really know
the country . This was proved untrue . I encountered busy and bustling
streets full of people. In the pedestrian underpasses there were no
homeless people that you would expect to see in the capitalist countries
. Indeed in London some pedestrian underpasses at night are full of
homeless people , drunks , drug addicts and lumpen criminal degenerate type people but
in Pyongyang there is no such thing. Indeed the DPRK is a highly moral
society that does not have drug addiction nor does it have pornography
or the so-called "sex industry " that the capitalist countries have
which distorts human values and blights lives.
There was also no sign of the police oppressing the people nor heavily
armed police units patrolling the streets . Travelling through the
countryside to various places such as Sinchon, Mt Myohyang and Nampo
therewas
absolutely no sign of the "forced labour camps " and "concentration
camps" that the imperialists claim exist in the DPRK . In fact I did not
see barbed wire anywhere in the DPRK countryside . I realised that the
"human rights " propaganda of the imperialists and the stories spread by
defectors are completely false.
The
DPRK boasts excellent leisure and recreational facilities which are
either non existent or very expensive in London. We watched a lively
performance by the dolphins at the Rungna Dolphinarium . I was told it
is very cheap to visit this place.
On
my last day I visited the famous Munsu Water Park which had not been
completed when I last visited in 2013. This place is incredibly big with
indoor and outside facilities such as slides and a wave machine. It
also has its own hairdressers and an excellent coffee bar.
I had the privilege of meeting with for 5th time the
Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front of south Korea, the vanguard
revolutionaries of south Korea . I was shown a video about the US
imperialist and south Korean puppet moves to tear up recent inter-Korean
agreements and provoke war . They also showed me a video concerning the
attempt to revise history books in south Korea in a way as to embellish
both Japan's occupation of south Korea and the Park Chung Hee military
fascist regime and also the struggle of the south Korean people against
such a revision. In my discussions with the AINDF I stressed that Park
Geun Hye styles herself on Thatcher but in reality Thatcher was a leader
hated by many British people so that when she died some people came out
on the streets to celebrate. The same will happen to Park Geun Hye and
her fate will be the same as her fathers . I had some very good
discussions with the AINDF and exchanged gifts with them .I was
entertained by an
excellent meal by the AINDF which included my favourite Korean hot
pepper sauce
I was greatly honoured to met secretary Kim Ki Nam and shake his hand and say Chosonnodongdang manse ! in Korean to him
I also met with Dr Ogami Kenichi head of the International Institute
of the Juche Idea and Dr Harish Gupta head of the Asian Regional
Institute for the Study of the Juche Idea and had discussions with them. I had the privilege of 2 working level meetings with a senior
professor from KASS. I also had the opportunity to meet the vice
secretary general of KASS at a meal arranged on my last night in the
DPRK at which I was able to enjoy lobster which is only eaten by rich
people in my country. The meal was very reasonably priced only
58 euros between for 6 people including soju (normally in London the
same price would only buy a similar meal for two people)
All in all a great visit. I was a bit sad to depart the land of Juche Korea !
Dermot Hudson
ASSPUK
JISGE